focus on your strength numbers going up and the mirror if are gaining weight and strength isn’t following it’s fat.
[quote]
What do you intend on doing for your routine by the way?[/quote]
I would train 4 days a week: legs, chest and triceps, back and biceps, shoulders and abs (40’ per session).
How many sets? Which rep range?
[quote]Anacleto wrote:
[quote]
What do you intend on doing for your routine by the way?[/quote]
I would train 4 days a week: legs, chest and triceps, back and biceps, shoulders and abs (40’ per session).
How many sets? Which rep range?[/quote]
Personally, if I was seriously underweight, I would do a more general program to get my numbers up quickly, rather than a more split routine where movements are done less frequently.
Typically, no offence, but your numbers will likely be rubbish at such a light body weight and years of muscle wastage. I’ve seen people like yourself struggle to do even a solidly controlled bodyweight squat, or even an 85lbs bench press.
I know it’s got a bit of a taboo subject on here (full body/ABA type splits for bodybuilding) but I strongly believe in this case it’s warranted, especially until you start gaining weight and your lifting numbers start to resemble an average beginner (let alone intermediate lifter).
Not only that, but until you build up some work capacity (hard after starving oneself), training more than 3 times a week will likely be counter-productive (your drive will be sapped).
Here’s an example routine (done Monday/Wednesday/Fri…workout A alternated with workout B):
Workout A - Upper body (2-3 sets of 6-10 reps)
Flat bench press
Incline bench press (alternated with Shoulder Press each time upper body repeated)
Pullups/pulldowns
Skull crushers
Barbel curls
Workout B - Lower body (2 sets of 10-12 reps, except calf’s which = 25-50 reps)
Squat
Deadlift
Standing Calf raises
Seated calf raises
Each time you reach the highest rep range on the first set (e.g. you got 8 reps first time, and managed 10 reps the next time), add roughly 2kg to the bar (or smaller jumps for smaller exercises like arms).
Provided you eat enough(!) you should see an increase in weight on the bar of at least 2% every 1-2 weeks. Progression is important, don’t forget that.
5x5 program
[quote]jskrabac wrote:
<—Back in before 18 people recommend Starting Strength. [/quote]
OP, Starting Strength would be ideal for you
this time i must agree. go with rippetoe! you will get a good starting point from there.
[quote]its_just_me wrote:
Typically, no offence, but your numbers will likely be rubbish at such a light body weight and years of muscle wastage. I’ve seen people like yourself struggle to do even a solidly controlled bodyweight squat, or even an 85lbs bench press.
[/quote]
I can barely lift 10kg at the bench press for 8 clean reps (only the bar weighs 20kg) and I am able to do just 4 pull-ups with supinated grip.
[quote]Anacleto wrote:
[quote]its_just_me wrote:
Typically, no offence, but your numbers will likely be rubbish at such a light body weight and years of muscle wastage. I’ve seen people like yourself struggle to do even a solidly controlled bodyweight squat, or even an 85lbs bench press.
[/quote]
I can barely lift 10kg at the bench press for 8 clean reps (only the bar weighs 20kg) and I am able to do just 4 pull-ups with supinated grip. [/quote]
Thought so
What you’ll find is that your body will respond like it’s regaining lost muscle mass (muscle memory) which is really quick to gain back. The stimulus that you can give your body will be that minimal/weak that you recover really quickly, so you need to stimulate your muscles frequently enough, with just enough volume to create a good enough response.
Most who start training would be stronger (which = larger stimulus = longer bodypart recovery needed), and could probably jump straight to a 2 or 3 way split or whatever close (e.g. upper/lower or push/pull/legs). Dorian Yates started on the UPPER/LOWER split for example.
With that in mind, I’d recommend you doing Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe rather than the other split I gave (can move onto that one after a few months).
Here’s Starting Strength (with SOME modifications):
Alternate Workout A and Workout B every other day, 3 times a week; i.e. MON/WED/FRI.
e.g.
Week 1:
M - Workout A
W -Workout B
F - Workout A
Week 2:
M- Workout B
W - Workout A
F - Workout B
Repeat.
Do your warm-ups (not much, just 1 or 2) and then do the work sets listed below with the same working weight.
Workout A
Squat 3 x 5 reps
Incline Bench Press 3 x 6-8 reps
Flat bench press 3 x 6-8 reps
Deadlift 1 x 5 reps
Workout B
Squat 3 x 5 reps
Seated Shoulder press 3 x 6-8 reps
Barbell rows or t-bar row 3 x 6-8 reps
Chinups 5 x 3 reps (build up to it by adding reps/workout…as soon as you can do 3 reps on last set, add reps to each set next time)
You should quite easily be able to add 2 reps to each upper body lift nearly every time you train. As soon as top rep range is reached, add around 2-5kg to the lift and begin at the lower end of reps again. Or for the squat/deadlift, add kg’s when you master the weight “comfortably”. So in literally 3 months (if you gain weight), it won’t be unusual for you to add over 30kg’s to each lift and be knocking out 10+ chinups with weight strapped to your waist.
Don’t stay on that routine forever (it’s called starting strength for a reason). When you get stronger, you will want to give bodyparts more volume and rest between hits.
How much rest between sets?
Enough
What about the TEMPO? (eccentric-concentric-static phase)
[quote]Anacleto wrote:
What about the TEMPO? (eccentric-concentric-static phase)[/quote]
You’re over-thinking it
Your muscle feels a heavy load and says “f***, I better get bigger to hold that again!”
Lift as quickly as you can, but while controlling the weight especially on the negative portion (don’t let it bounce or rely on momentum)
[quote]Anacleto wrote:
How much rest between sets? [/quote]
As kakno said, enough. Enough to catch your breath and can give it 100% but not so much that you lose your pump.
Typically 1-2 mins (more for things like high rep large compound movements etc)
ground beef and drum sticks. Fitday.com
What about my diet? I should have to force myself to eat more, shouldn’t I?
Just get into a routine of eating 3-4 meals a day…roughly 500 cals per meal
You shouldn’t feel sick, but it will fill you up.
Your calories can come from liquids too, so if you got only ~300 cals in a “meal”, a cup of whole milk would make it up to 500 cals
When your calorie intake feels comfortable, and your weight stabolises for a few weeks, you can start to add in more food (e.g. bigger meals/some shakes inbetween meals).
Do I need supplements? I 've got whey protein and vitargo: I may have a shake post-workout.
nah you don’t “need” them. you need food, rest and water above all. If you’ve got the money to burn and you really want that extra little boost that supps give, then go ahead.
that shake during your workout and immediately after isn’t a bad idea as long as it doesn’t interfere with mealtimes.
Chin-ups: what am i supposed to do if i perform only 2 reps on the 4th set? Shall i stop the exercise? i use a supinated grip untill i get stronger.
Squat: it is the basic back squat, isn’t it?
Chin-ups: what am i supposed to do if i perform only 2 reps on the 4th set? Shall i stop the exercise? i use a supinated grip untill i get stronger.
Squat: it is the basic back squat, isn’t it?
[/quote]
My suggestion: take as many “sets” as it takes to complete the total amount of reps you were aiming for, even if it’s on e rep at a time at that point.
A squat is a squat. Yes.